Karim Aïnouz

Motel Destino

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Elias and Heraldo confront each other

Sexy, sweaty, panting film noir goes splashily, vividly neon-hued in Motel Destino, a vague updating of The Postman Always Rings Twice done with all the Insta-filters selected. Very nice. As in Postman, it’s a threeway affair. Heraldo the minor criminal hiding out in the Motel Destino, a sex motel run by the slightly older Dayana and her older-again husband Elias, who have no illusions about what their hotel is for – orgasmic moans echo down the corridor, it sells cock rings and dildos as a sideline. To earn his keep while laying low, Heraldo starts doing odd jobs for Elias and Dayana. Dark-skinned, sexy young buck Heraldo often has his shirt off as … Read more

Firebrand

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Alicia Vikander as Katherine Parr

Unusually for a film concerning King Henry VIII of England, Firebrand is not interested in wife one (Catherine of Aragon) or wife two (Anne Boleyn). Instead focus is on the last of Henry’s six wives, Katherine Parr. And, no bones about it, she is the focus of this film, not the king. A history lesson. At the time this film is set Henry has broken politically but not entirely religiously with Rome. The Church of England has been established and Henry is its head. But because he’s relied so heavily on Protestants to support his break, Henry’s brand of Catholicism is on the defensive and the Protestants are on the prowl. It’s against … Read more